Disney CEO Bob Iger announced today that legendary producer Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as head of Lucasfilm, effective immediately, and taking over the reins with longtime animation veteran Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan.
Kennedy has been instrumental in leading the Disney family's acquisition of Lucasfilm nearly a decade ago, bringing with it one of the most beloved storytelling universes ever created and a team of extraordinary talent handpicked by George Lucas himself. Iger expressed deep gratitude to Kennedy for her leadership, vision, and stewardship of an iconic studio and brand, adding that she has been instrumental in guiding the expansion of Star Wars storytelling on screen.
As part of the transition, Filoni will serve as President and Chief Creative Officer, focusing on the creative side, while Brennan will oversee logistics. The partnership is reminiscent of DC Studios, where James Gunn handles creative and Peter Safran takes care of day-to-day operations.
Kennedy, who got her start as an assistant to Steven Spielberg, has established herself as a formidable force in film production over the past 50 years, producing numerous iconic films like Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Back to the Future, E.T., and the Indiana Jones series. Her tenure saw the successful relaunch of the Star Wars franchise on both the big screen and streaming platforms.
Lucasfilm founder George Lucas handpicked Kennedy to run the studio as he sold it to Disney in 2013. While Kennedy will remain involved with overseeing select projects like The Mandalorian & Grogu, all eyes are now focused on Filoni, who has been instrumental in fresh, exciting storytelling in Star Wars animation and is expected to bring bold choices to live-action productions.
Filoni expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm under Iger's trust, stating that Kennedy played a pivotal role in shaping his love of storytelling. With Filoni taking the helm, it remains to be seen how he will shape the future of Star Wars and what projects he will prioritize as President and Chief Creative Officer.
Kennedy has been instrumental in leading the Disney family's acquisition of Lucasfilm nearly a decade ago, bringing with it one of the most beloved storytelling universes ever created and a team of extraordinary talent handpicked by George Lucas himself. Iger expressed deep gratitude to Kennedy for her leadership, vision, and stewardship of an iconic studio and brand, adding that she has been instrumental in guiding the expansion of Star Wars storytelling on screen.
As part of the transition, Filoni will serve as President and Chief Creative Officer, focusing on the creative side, while Brennan will oversee logistics. The partnership is reminiscent of DC Studios, where James Gunn handles creative and Peter Safran takes care of day-to-day operations.
Kennedy, who got her start as an assistant to Steven Spielberg, has established herself as a formidable force in film production over the past 50 years, producing numerous iconic films like Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Back to the Future, E.T., and the Indiana Jones series. Her tenure saw the successful relaunch of the Star Wars franchise on both the big screen and streaming platforms.
Lucasfilm founder George Lucas handpicked Kennedy to run the studio as he sold it to Disney in 2013. While Kennedy will remain involved with overseeing select projects like The Mandalorian & Grogu, all eyes are now focused on Filoni, who has been instrumental in fresh, exciting storytelling in Star Wars animation and is expected to bring bold choices to live-action productions.
Filoni expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm under Iger's trust, stating that Kennedy played a pivotal role in shaping his love of storytelling. With Filoni taking the helm, it remains to be seen how he will shape the future of Star Wars and what projects he will prioritize as President and Chief Creative Officer.
Interesting how they're bringing in some fresh blood with Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan, gonna be interesting to see how they shake things up at Lucasfilm 
so whats good with this news? Kathleen Kennedy is basically getting pushed out by Disney for some animation dude Dave Filoni 
i mean, dont get me wrong filoni has done solid work on star wars animation but does he have what it takes to run the whole studio like kennedy did? seems like disney is playing it safe and not taking any major risks with their new team 
?! she's been a total game changer for disney and lucasfilm 4eva!!! i mean, who else could make star wars go from being all about merch to actually creating some dope tv shows & movies? 
! he's got the animation magic and all the creative juice but how's he gonna live up to kennedy's legacy tho? 
hopefully he'll bring the excitement back with those bold choices. btw, what's up w/ the new ops system w/ brennan & safran? sounds like a dream come true for lucasfilm 
she's been a total game changer for disney and lucasfilm, especially with star wars 
. i mean, can you even imagine the goonies or e.t. without her? 
. he's already proven himself as a talented storyteller in animation, so fingers crossed he'll carry that over to live-action too 
gotta love how kennedy and brendan will be working together tho - seems like a solid partnership 
anyway, i'm more concerned about what dave filoni's gonna do with this job... he's got some awesome animation creds under his belt but live-action is a whole different beast - hope he brings that same creativity to it 
... I guess that's a thing now? I mean, I'm sure she's still gonna make cameos on The Mandalorian & Grogu, right? 
But for real tho, it's like the next 50 years of Star Wars are in Filoni's hands... fingers crossed he doesn't turn us all into Stormtroopers 
. On a more serious note, I'm curious to see what kind of crazy, innovative stuff Filoni's gonna bring to the table. Can't wait for some juicy updates! 
Just thinking about Kathleen Kennedy stepping down from Lucasfilm is kinda like watching a chapter close in space opera history... she's been with it since 2013 and brought so much magic to the franchise 
i'm so hyped for dave filoni to take over though 
his animation work on star wars is amazing and i trust him with the creative direction 
we'll see what projects he prioritizes but im all about fresh storytelling and bold choices 